Take Me Out
by RicardianScholar Clark-Weasley
Summary: AU Modern. George Knightly is a presenter for a dating program, Emma Woodhouse is one of the contestants. Why did George agree to the no dating contestant clause?


After what felt like the tenth billionth interview George Knightly wondered why on earth he accepted this job.

He was used to being a presenter on TV, he unfortunately had the looks and charisma to pull it off and he never knew what he wanted to do when he was younger and therefore allowed a friend of his father pull him into the entertainment business. It had been five years since he actually worked, his last show gave him enough money to live comfortably but now it was beginning to run out and his friend desperately needed a good presenter for his new dating TV show.

Take Me Out – the show that objectifies both men and women. Now that was equality.

He had to interview every contestant, just a couple questions, so he would have a little info on them for the show. Most of them were vapid girls who just wanted to be on TV or desperate lonely people. Both very depressing to talk to.

There was a quiet knock on the door and he sighed. His last interview of the day before there were many more in the next. "Come in," he called out.

A blonde woman entered. She was dressed expensively but very simple clothing, her blonde hair was swept up into a messy ponytail and she didn't have a speck of makeup on her face. Finally a real woman instead of the dressed up, plastered on women he's been talking to for the past six hours.

"Emma Woodhouse," she said confidently as she held a hand out to him. He took it and gave it a firm shake. "I'm a bit of a fan of yours," she admitted as the faintest tinge of pink tinted her pale skin. "Your Blue Peter days were the best."

He inwardly groaned. Another reminder of how old he is, he hadn't done Blue Peter since he was twenty five and that was 12 years ago. This woman standing before him couldn't be more than twenty one.

"Nice to meet you Emma," he said with his fake cheery voice he used all day. "Now, I need to ask a couple questions for a little background info for the show."

"Isn't that all in the application I filled out?" Emma asked.

Hallelujah! An intelligent question, the first all day. "Yes but I like to put the information to a face and voice. Weird I know but it means I won't make a mistake during the filming stages of the show."

"You're dedicated," Emma said with the smallest glint of admiration in her eyes. He wishes he could agree with her but he really hated the idea of this show and he was only doing this for his friend. "Well...shoot I suppose."

"Right, erm...how old are you?"

"Twenty one."

"And what are your hobbies and interests?"

"Hmm...I don't know. I don't have much time for hobbies and interests, I play a little piano, used to read a lot, I was in the middle of learning Chinese, oh and I used to paint but these days I'm too busy to do anything."

"Why is that?"

"Too busy with my business," she said cheerfully. "I co-own the Hartfield Nursing Home. My sister does all the administration stuff but I'm in there all the time looking after the clients. Especially my father, it was the reason we started the nursing home. He was too ill to stay at home but neither of us could bear to leave him with strangers. He hates change as well so it suited all three of us."

"And you thought I was dedicated," he murmured. "Right and you joined the show because...?" he asked louder.

"Oh it was a dare, my sister and friends think I should get out more and dared me to do it. I never turn down a dare you see, so in return I dared my friends to also join the show. I'm sure you'll be seeing them shortly."

He was fascinated with her. Finally there was a woman who was confident in herself to join a show simply on a dare. She was relaxed, happy, fairly intelligent (she was in the middle of learning Chinese!), dedicated to her family and on top of all that a very beautiful woman when you looked past the simple-ness of her appearance. She was a real woman.

Why did he have to sign that contract stating he wouldn't have any sort of relationship with the contestants?

EWEWEWEWEWEWEWEW

What the viewers didn't know about this reality TV show was that the contestants got to speak to one another backstage when they were preparing to film. It allowed the men and women to get to know each other properly and therefore they'll be at ease when they were judging one another in the actual show. It explained so much really because George didn't know how one person could judge a man on what they look like, a mini-video about their life, and a little show of talent. But this had allowed him to get to know Emma more; she usually came very early to get ready and ended up talking to him over a coffee as they waited for the other contestants to appear.

He quickly learnt that they liked the same shows and books, not that Emma really got a chance to enjoy them these days since she was too busy with the nursing home.

The first few shows went relatively well and to his secret delight Emma Woodhouse would turn her light off almost immediately when the male contestant entered the stage.

"I'm starting to think you have high standards that this show can't meet," he teased her. "I can't fix you up with someone if you keep turning them down."

"There has been no one to spark an interest," she said, "I need drop dead gorgeous and you have yet to show me drop dead gorgeous."

"That is a little shallow of you, is it not? To turn off your light just because of a man's appearance," he frowned wondering if he has finally found a flaw in her.

She shrugged. "The fact a man feels insecure enough to join this show says it all. A drop dead gorgeous man is usually a man of confidence and is secure about himself. I spend my days reassuring my father and many other clients that they are the most important part of my life, I do not need to do so with the man I date."

"Well good luck with finding a man like that."

Her eyes twinkled with mischief and delight. "What makes you think I have not already found a man like that?"

His breath was caught in his throat and his stomach took an unpleasant flip. Had she meant him? Or had she met another man that she had taken a liking to. Did she have to be so wonderful and frustrating at the same time?

EWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEW

George watched with disgust as Elton crushed all of Harriet Smith's hopes and dreams by turning her light off and going for Augusta instead. Elton was a pompous arrogant young man who knew he was good-looking and intelligent. He had won Emma over with his knowledge of poetry and spent the behind the scenes flirting with her. That was enough to make George hate him but to add the icing on the cake, Emma did not want Elton. No she wanted Elton for her best friend, shy, sweet Harriet who had joined the show on Emma's encouragement.

George was sure he had never spent so much time brooding as he had during the breaks between filming that day. It was a horrible sight to see Emma talking cheerfully to another man like that. He was too used to having Emma all to himself during these moments and he hated the thought of sharing her.

_Yeah, well get used to it, what are you going to do when she goes off to a tropical island with some contestant? _

Damn he was screwed.

"I hate him!" Emma hissed after they filmed Elton and Augusta running off the set in each other's arms. "The horrible little swine, to string Harriet along like that and suddenly crush her in front of millions!"

"It's because you crushed his ego in front of millions," he said calmly.

"I did not!" Emma cried out looking shocked.

"You did too. You were obviously flirting with him and yet the moment he walked on stage you turned your light off. He was determined to have revenge against you and used your friend."

"That arsehole!" Emma shouted. "Oh poor Harriet, how will she cope?"

"I think she will cope just fine," George said nodding in Harriet's direction. The shy girl was being comforted by one of the cameramen, Robert Martin, a man just as shy as she was. "She might end up with a date today after all."

"I suppose that is something," Emma sighed.

"How do you know Harriet?" he asked to distract her. He was curious how two people so unlike one another could be so very close.

"She went to the boarding school close to Hartfield. I went there during the day to do my studies and we were class mates. I had taken her under my wing so to speak. She can be very bright when she wants to be but she's so shy and nervous around people that she fumbles. When we finished school her parents asked me to find her a job. They did not want her."

"Why?"

"Because she is a scandal. I do not know her parents real names or themselves well. I do know that they were high standing people in society and were having an affair. Harriet had been given her grandmother's maiden name and was raised by said grandmother until she was five, then she had spent every holiday with me."

"Poor Harriet indeed," George said. It is one thing to not have a parent all year round because of boarding school but to not have one at all because of being scandalous. "So did you get Harriet a job?"

"She's our receptionist though I do wish I can find another position for her, she keeps getting the phone calls all wrong and directing people to the wrong bedrooms. I love her dearly but I do not want to risk someone's grandmother's medication in her hands..."

"Well, never mind, Elton will realise one day on what a mistake he has made and Harriet will be happier than he ever could be."

"Hear, hear."

EWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEW

When George thought he would hate Elton and only Elton he did not know there was a man he would meet that he would hate even more than Elton.

Frank Churchill.

Frank Bloody Churchill.

He was handsome, charming, light-humoured, intelligent, and so friendly that he had everyone but George wrapped round his little finger within five minutes of entering the set. What's worse is he was obviously interested in Emma and vice versa. After weeks and weeks of knowing no man could get Emma to keep her light on there was finally a man who might just win her over.

And George Knightly despised him.

He was insanely jealous and hated the fact this was the last episode. The final episode of this horrific dating nightmare and instead of sharing cake with Emma like he planned to. He was standing there in the shadows watching Frank Churchill wipe icing onto Emma's nose.

He noticed that in a corner one of the other contestants was watching the flirtation between Frank and Emma with just as much jealousy and hate as he was. Jane Fairfax was another close friend of Emma's, although they did not grow up together Emma was a close friend of Jane's great aunt who was now at Hartfield Nursing Home. Jane was apparently very quiet but once you got her to open up she was fun to be with. Though apparently Jane has been more closed up than ever recently and it was frustrating Emma endlessly.

For some reason George has a suspicion that it was Frank Churchill's fault.

EWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEWEW

"I'm sorry."

"Whatever for?"

"For everything that just happened."

"It's nothing."

"You were interested."

"It was nothing."

"He tricked you. He made you think he was going to take you out and instead he goes and does this ...this...horrible trick!"

"George," Emma said with a small smile, "its ok. All right? I only fancied him a little bit and kept my light on because...well I thought what the hell? Why not? It wouldn't kill me to let someone take me out on a date for once. It's not like I was in love with him or anything, I only knew him for one afternoon."

"But you were happy."

He remembered the horrible twists and aches in his stomach as he watched Emma throw herself into Frank Churchill's arms as they laughed. Frank had danced her across the set and picked her up and twirled her round in the air. They looked like a radiant golden couple, happy and in love.

"I had fun," Emma said with a shrug. "He was good fun and made me laugh but it would have only been a date. I've known Frank as long as I known Jane, George, he has always made me laugh and I knew I could trust him to not cop a feel or anything. But other than that? It's just friendship; if he makes Jane happy then they can go off and be happy. I'm not going to shed any tears over it."

She was so calm when Frank received the phone call telling him his aunt died. She was so very calm when he laughed at the phone call and turned towards Jane and pulled Jane into his arms. She was so very calm when he kissed Jane and announced he and Jane will marry.

God sake she even said yes to being a bridesmaid to Jane.

If that's not putting a brave face on then George wasn't sure what is.

"He is a scoundrel and a filthy liar," George scowled. "He had hurt both you and Jane and I do not understand how either of you can forgive him. If I was in his shoes I would have never started such a farce to begin with!"

"I know," Emma said with a smile, "which is why you are the better man."

He felt himself flush with pleasure and pride at that. "Emma..." he swallowed. It would be now or never. She was soon going to walk out of that door and never come back. She would soon go back to Hartfield Nursing Home and forget all about him. "I-"

"I learnt something when I was on this show," Emma said interrupting him. "I learnt that I do need someone in my life. I watched some couples really make it on this show or in the behind the scenes like Harriet and Robert, do you know that Robert is moving to Highbury? He says he'd rather commute than live away from Harriet. Watching those two together made me realise I need someone in my life. I need someone who is confident but humble, someone who could step back and let me live my life but want to be a part of it to. Then when Frank chose me I realised the reason why I was holding out for so long. It wasn't to find someone like Frank...it was because I caught a glimpse of someone who might be the real thing and I didn't want to be with anyone else but him. I didn't want to hear about Elton's poetry or see that guy's football skills. I didn't want to go on a tropical island and be romanced. I just want this decent guy who understood me and loved me for all my flaws as well as my qualities. I wanted to be treated with respect and taken out because the man was really into me, you know?"

"Yeah..." he muttered. He coughed to clear his throat. "I'm glad this show managed to teach you something so valuable."

"I don't think you understand," Emma said as she stepped closer to him. "I have found that guy. I have found him the very beginning of this series and I never realised it," her face was so close to his and his stomach was doing somersaults. Did she...? "George," she said huskily. "Take me out."

He obeyed her and took her out on a date just like she asked.

But before he did he kissed her and showed her just how much he wanted to take her out on a date.


End file.
